The wife had a mid-winter antiquing itch and exhausted our little corner of New Hampshire’s resources to scratch it. After a Google search and a NewEngland.com article (https://newengland.com/travel/new-england/best-antique-towns-in-new-england/) we went an hour and and forty minutes south to Putnam, Connecticut with a single store in mind…
Antiques Marketplace is in Downtown Putnam is an old-stuff utopia with four floors and over 300 venders spread over 22,000 square feet. It was impossible to get a singular photo that shows the scale of this place. It is located in an old complex that they, I’m assuming, over time cut wholes to inhabit more of to give you an Ikea-styled experience, in a good way. Each corner and floor unveils secret rooms, different themed galleries, and items of all sorts.
Side note: WWII memorabilia from the mid-century Germany (if you know what I mean) triggered a handful of sensitive yuppies in the reviews, but it is limited to a section on the main floor and not worth skipping this amazing place.
Afterwards we wandered around the neighborhood to check out some of the others shops and grabbed lunch at Nikki’s Dog House, a fun shop with a train circling the booths and an overwhelming selection of dogs, burgers, sandwiches, and fried chicken. Putnam also offers lots of other bakeries, restaurants, and coffee shops, so lots to check out on future visits. If you are into more primitive and Amish decor, 10 minutes from town in Woodstock you will find The Rusty Relic, an enormous house with every room adorned in various themes of the style. Worth the little side quest to check out, with various other places to check out on the way.
Winter shouldn’t stop you from getting out with the family! We had a successful adventure to a new place that we will likely return to in the future in a new part of New England.
Here are some photos from our adventure: